"The event was a success," Dariusz Gruszecki, the organizational director of this year's festival, briefly sums up the BnB closing concert. It is officially known that around 1,500 tickets were sold. It is not known, however, how many people managed to get in without a ticket. This, incidentally, shows that the festival is needed. "People want events like this in Bolesławiec," Gruszecki adds.
Contrary to the common perception of rock concerts, it was calm and safe. The relevant services did not have to intervene even once. "There were some minor mishaps, admittedly," the director does not conceal. The bands, which had 15 minutes to set up on stage, took half an hour or even longer to tune up. "We lost an hour and a half. As a result, one band—Bartek Gruszecki Band—did not play, but that is the thankless role of the hosts," says Dariusz Gruszecki. He immediately announces changes: "In the future, we will organize it differently. The closing concert will last two days, and the competition will be held outdoors."
Next year, a star from the United States is also expected to perform at Blues. "We could not afford it this year," the organizational director admits. Gruszecki also wants the festival to end at 11 p.m., so that Bolesławiec residents can attend with their entire families. And indeed, many people did not stay until the performance by the biggest star of the 17th BnB, the brilliant Czechs from -123 Min, who began their show only shortly before 3 a.m.
Among those performing during the finale were: Łowcy $zmalu (winner of the 14th Tadeusz Nalepa Blues Band Competition), Obstawa Prezydenta, Sławek Wierzcholski and Nocna Zmiana Bluesa, celebrating their 25th anniversary on stage, veterans Free Blues Band (the only band that used the iconic Hammond organ on stage that evening), and JJ Band, closely associated with Bolesławiec.
Whisky! Whisky!
The audience was waiting primarily for Dżem, however. The band performed with a reduced lineup (Adam Otręba was absent after breaking his ribs), but this did not bother the audience. The group played brilliantly. It is clear that Maciej Balcar has settled into his role as the vocalist of the "Polish Rolling Stones," as Dżem is sometimes called. Balcar's vocal and musical dialogues with the audience and guitarist Jerzy Styczyński were truly outstanding. The band played its greatest hits as well as "Ten o tobie film" from Tadeusz Nalepa's repertoire.
The audience could not—and did not—disappoint. A real frenzy began in front of the stage. Blues fans once again proved that they knew Dżem's lyrics by heart. The viewers sang along with the vocalist on the vast majority of the songs. This was hardly surprising, especially since the band played such numbers as: "Sen o Victorii," "Mała aleja róż," "Harley mój," "Jak malowany ptak," "Naiwne pytania," "Wehikuł czasu," as well as—performed as encores—"Czerwony jak cegła" and an excellent version of "Whisky."
The closing concert concluded with a performance by the outstanding Czech group, -123 Minuty. The Czechs did not fall below their very high standard. The Minutki, who captivatingly combine funk energy with elements of blues, jazz, and ethnic music, once again showed that they are a world-class band. Only the late hour can explain the relatively low attendance at the final performance of the successful closing concert of the 17th BnB edition.
BnB continues
The finale of the 17th edition of Blues nad Bobrem is already behind us, but the festival is still ongoing. Dariusz Gruszecki plans to organize 10 more concerts this year at the Skafander festival club. Martyna Jakubowicz is scheduled to perform in Bolesławiec in September. Carlos Johnson and Bartek Miarka will also play in the autumn. And on September 15, blues musicians associated with Bolesławiec will once again perform on Śnieżka. The concert will accompany a festival of films on mountain-related themes.
More on the workshops
The eight-day workshops named after Wojtek Seweryn have ended. Nearly 80 participants honed their skills under the guidance of leading figures on the Polish music scene. The lecturers at the 17th BnB edition included such outstanding artists as Krystyna Prońko and Maciej Balcar (vocals), Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki and Bohdan Lizoń (guitar), Tomasz Grabowy and Wojciech Pilichowski (bass), Bartosz Łęczycki and Roman Badeński (harmonica), and Zbigniew Lewandowski (drums).
"The BnB workshops are the highest-quality workshops in Poland," says Dariusz Gruszecki. In an interview with Boleslawiec.org, the organizational director also announced that a keyboard and saxophone class would be created next year. It is already known that Maciej Balcar will again be a lecturer in 2008; he made his debut in this role during this year's festival. "Everyone has to start somewhere, and he handled it brilliantly," Zbigniew Lewandowski, the festival's artistic director, told Boleslawiec.org. "The young people were delighted both with him and with the way he conducted the classes," added the outstanding drummer.
Maciej Balcar himself told us: "I try to pass on things that are not from books, but solely things from life that have happened to me. The people are very nice. They have the makings of vocalists. If they are consistent, they can achieve a great deal." Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki is equally positive about the young workshop participants: "Nobody will learn to play in 9–10 days, but if they practice diligently and approach the subject of music and blues seriously, we will not have to wait long for results."
The organizers want the festival to regain its former reputation. In future years, they may once again manage to bring 150–180 workshop participants to Bolesławiec. The fact that it is worthwhile to take part in this type of class and to develop one's skills is demonstrated by the fact that Krzysztof "Puma" Piasecki himself once honed his skills under the guidance of Jarosław Śmietana. He is now an acclaimed guitarist. In fact, some time ago he recorded an album with his Master. Who knows, then, how many more talents may be discovered thanks to the BnB workshops.
(GA report)